Sep
Zephyr didn’t speak on the way home. When they entered the condo, she dropped her bag on the floor next to the door.
“Go take a shower,” Tempest suggested. “It might help you collect yourself. I’ll go reheat the food while you do.”
Zephyr shuffled down the hall towards the bathroom without responding. She left the water cold, shivering as she stood under it. The discomfort helped to bring her back to her senses a little, and tears she hadn’t been able to cry finally escaped. The last of Zephyr’s control left her, and she bawled under the running water until her eyes were swollen and her sobs were reduced to hiccups. She was shivering hard from cold she could no longer feel when she turned off the water, and was both surprised and gratified to find that Tempest had snuck in to leave some warm pajamas and a sweatshirt on the counter. She dressed quickly and opened the door.
As Zephyr stepped out of the bathroom, a hand grabbed her and pulled her aside. Before she could even shriek in surprise, she found herself being hugged tightly by her twin. The tension left her body, and she leaned against him. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Sorry,” was Tempest’s only response. He made no move to let her go, and Zephyr looked up at him. “Your eyes are swollen,” Tempest noted.
“I’m not surprised,” Zephyr sighed.
“I hate it when you cry like that,” Tempest told her quietly. “It breaks my heart, and there’s nothing I can do to help you feel better.”
“Yeah there is. You’re doing it now.”
Tempest gave his twin an affectionate squeeze. “Having me feel like I’m hugging an ice cube makes you feel better?” Without waiting for Zephyr’s response, Tempest let go and nudged her towards the living room. “Go sit on the couch, I have dinner waiting in the living room.”
Zephyr did as directed. Once she was sitting down, Tempest tossed a blanket over her. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you aren’t careful. Warm up properly.”
Zephyr snorted and unburied herself, wrapping the blanket around herself obediently. “It’ll take more than a cold shower to make me sick.”
“I’d rather not take that chance,” Tempest said as he lifted his hamburger to his mouth.
Zephyr picked up a french fry and stared at it.
“What is it?” Tempest asked around his mouthful of food.
“I was just thinking that I probably blew our chances of ever being allowed back into Joe’s again.”
Tempest swallowed. “Actually, that’s a funny story…”
Zephyr leveled a look at her brother that made it perfectly clear she thought he’d gone insane. “I dumped an entire pitcher of soda over a patron, likely ruining a booth and a huge section of carpeting in the process.”
“Yes, you did,” Tempest acknowledged, plucking the fry from Zephyr’s hand and popping it into her mouth. “And once you’d vacated the premises, your ex-scumbag’s friends promptly called over the manager and placed all blame on Leo’s shoulders. After that, they forced him to apologize, clean up the mess, and pay for any remaining damages. Once the manager had the entire story, he said he wished they’d had a second pitcher at their table for you to dump over Leo’s head.”
Zephyr blinked. “You’re serious?”
“Very,” Tempest confirmed as he held out another fry for his twin. “Oh, and before you ask, your float was melted, flat, and warm by the time I started reheating the food. I dumped it out. Sorry.”
“I have a pint of ice cream in the freezer that says there’s no need for you to apologize,” Zephyr said.
“Glad to hear it,” Tempest said, grinning.
Zephyr’s phone rang from inside her bag near the door. When she moved to unwrap the blanket so she could retrieve the ringing phone, Tempest held up a hand to stop her. “I’ll get it. You stay where you are.”
After he’d dug the phone out of Zephyr’s bag, he looked at the display and frowned darkly.
“It’s Leo, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Zephyr held out her hand. “Toss it to me.”
“You don’t have to talk to him,” Tempest said reluctantly.
“Tem, toss it to me.”
Tempest sighed and tossed the still-ringing phone to Zephyr, who hit the speaker button on her phone. “Did you need something?”
A long string of profanities issued from the other end of the line, and Zephyr hung up. She grinned a wicked grin at Tempest. “I think I made him mad.”
“Gee, you think?”
Zephyr’s phone began ringing again, and she ignored the call. “I have a feeling I’m going to have to change my phone number.”
“It’s possible,” Tempest said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Zephyr’s phone buzzed, letting her know she had a message. She opened the phone and grinned.
“I’m assuming that’s not him this time,” Tempest said as he picked up his burger again.
“Nope. It’s Enzo. Word travels fast.” She held the phone up so her twin could see the message.
Chris told me what happened tonight. Says not to worry, Leo deserved it. Also says to call him sometime. I think Leo’s lost him as a friend. You ok?
Tempest grinned at her before settling in to finish his dinner.
Zephyr’s response to Enzo was short and to the point. You should have given him two black eyes instead of one.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately. I tried. He dodged my second punch.
Zephyr’s phone rang again, and she sighed. She hit the ignore button and wrote one more quick message to Enzo. I’m probably going to have to change my number, he won’t quit calling me. I’ll let you know what it is when I’ve got it.
With that, she turned off her phone, tossed it onto the coffee table, and looked at her twin. “You know what? I’m glad we’re moving.”
“Me too,” Tempest told her.
Zephyr sighed deeply and leaned against him. “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”
Tempest snorted. “Like you even have to ask… Eat your dinner before it gets cold. Again.
Author’s Note:
Oh look, it’s…September. Not only did I not finish this in July like I’d hoped, I completely ditched in August. Sorry, real life got the better of me. Who knows, maybe I’ll get 4.4 up soon. :)